Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Pŏl'i-tīze, v. t. p. 1007To play the politician. [Obs.] Milton.Pŏl'i-tūre, n. p. 1007Polish; the gloss given by polishing. [Obs.] Deane.Pŏl'i-ty, n. p. 1007The form or constitution of civil government by which a nation or state is organized; the framework or organization by which the various departments of a civil government are combined into a…Pŏl'kă, n. p. 1007A dance of Polish origin, but now popular every where. It is performed by two persons in common time. ☞ Somewhere about the year 1831, a young peasant girl, who was in the service of a citizen of…Pŏl'kā-jäck'et, n. p. 1007A kind of knit jacket worn by women. Simmonds.Pŏll, n. p. 1007The head of a person, or the back part of the head; — sometimes, in composition, applied to the head of a beast, as in poll-evil. “All flaxen was his poll.” Shak. 2. A register of heads, that is, of…Pŏll, v. t. p. 1007To remove the poll or head of; hence, to remove the top or ends of; to clip; to lop; to shear; to cut closely; as, to poll the head, the hair, or the wool; to poll the branches of a tree; also…Pŏll, n. p. 1007[From Polly, a name.] A parrot; — familiarly so called. 2. [Gr. οἱ πολλοί, the many, the rabble.] One who does not try for honors, but is contented to obtain a degree merely. [Cambridge Univ., Eng.]Pŏl'lack, n. p. 1007(Ichth.) A salt-water fish of the cod family; the whiting. [Written also pollock.]Pŏll’age, n. p. 1007A head-tax or capitation-tax; hence, extortion. [Obs.] Foxe.Pŏl'lard, n. p. 1007A tree having its top cut off at some height above the ground, that it may throw out branches. “Grubbing up an old pollard ash.” Pennant. 2. A coin which has been clipped; and hence, a counterfeit.…Pŏl'lard, v. t. p. 1008To lop the tops of, as trees; to poll. Evelyn.Pōll'-bōok, n. p. 1008A register of voters exercising their franchise. Simmonds.Pōl'-clerk, n. p. 1008A clerk who enters or registers the names of voters at elections as they appear and vote. See CLERK. Simmonds.Pōlled, p. a. p. 1008Deprived of a poll; cropped; as, (a.) Lopped; — said of trees having their tops cut off. (b.) Cropped; hence, bald; — said of a person. The polled bachelor... At seventy thou canst catch. Beau. & Fl.…Pŏl'len, n. p. 1008Fine bran or flour. [Obs.] Bailey. 2. (Bot.) The fecundating dust or powder of the anthers of flowers. Martyn. Pollen-mass (Bot.), the pollen of a plant, when its grains unite into a mass, as in…Pŏl'len-ā'ri-oŭs, a. p. 1008Consisting of meal or pollen.Pŏl'len-ger, n. p. 1008Brushwood. [Obs.] Tusser.Pōl'len-īne, n. p. 1008(Chem.) A substance obtained from the pollen of plants.Pōl'ler, n. p. 1008One who polls; as, (a.) One who polls or lops trees. (b.) One who polls or cuts hair; a barber. [Rare.] (c.) One who extorts or plunders. [Obs.] Bacon. (d.) One who registers voters, or one who…Pōll'-ē'vĭl, n. p. 1008(Far.) A swelling or aposteme on a horse's head, or on the nape of the neck, between the ears.Pol-lĭç'i-tā'tion, n. p. 1008A voluntary engagement, or a paper containing it; a promise. Henry. 2. (Civil Law.) A promise without mutuality; a promise which has not been accepted by the person to whom it is made. Burrill.…Pol-līge'tor, n. p. 1008(Antiq.) A servant of an undertaker, who prepared a corpse for burial by washing and anointing it. (Obs.)Pŏl-lĭ-nĭf’er-oŭs, a. p. 1008Producing pollen.Pŏl'lin-ōse', a. p. 1008Covered with a mealy powder somewhat resembling the pollen of flowers.Pŏl'li-wĭg, n. p. 1008A tadpole. [Written also purwiggy and porwigle, and in the United States vulgarly written and pronounced polliwog.] Forby. That which is engendered and brought forth is, as it were, some little mites…Pŏl'lock, n. p. 1008(Ichth.) A fish, the whiting, or pollack.Pōll'-tăx, n. p. 1008A tax levied by the head or poll; a capitation tax.Pol-lūte', v. t. p. 1008To make foul or unclean; to render impure; to taint. 2. To defile morally; to destroy the perfection or purity of; to corrupt; to impair; to profane. Ye pollute yourselves with all your idols. Ezek.…Pol-lūte', a. p. 1008Polluted; defiled. Milton.Pol-lūt'ed-ly, adv. p. 1008In a polluted state or manner.Pol-lūt'ed-ness, n. p. 1008The state of being polluted; defilement.Pol-lū'ter, n. p. 1008One who pollutes or profanes; a defiler.Pol·ī̆t'ing, p. a. p. 1008Adapted or tending to defile or infect.Pol-lūt'ing-ly, adv. p. 1008Corruptingly.Pol-lū'tion, n. p. 1008The act of polluting, or the state of being polluted; defilement; uncleanness; impurity. 2. (Jewish Antiq.) Legal or ceremonial uncleanness, which disqualified a person for sacred services or for…Pŏl'lux, n. p. 1008(Astron.) A fixed star, of the second magnitude, in the constellation Gemini, or the Twins. 2. (Min.) A colorless, transparent variety of feldspar, resembling quartz, found on the island of Elba.…Pō'lo-nā'īse', a. p. 1008Pertaining to, or derived from, the Poles or Poland. [Written also Polonese.]Pō'lo-nēse', n. p. 1008The Polish language. 2. A robe, or dress, adopted from the Poles, worn by ladies. 3. A musical movement of three crotchets in a bar, with the rhythmical cæsura on the last; also, a dance adapted to…Pō'lo-nēse', a. & n. p. 1008See POLONAISE.Pō'lo-noiṣé', n. p. 1008See POLONAISE.Po-lō'ny, n. p. 1008A kind of dry sausage made of meat partly cooked. Thackeray.Pōl'ron, n. p. 1008See POWLDRON.Pōlt, n. p. 1008A blow, stroke, or striking. Halliwell.Pōlt'-fōot, n. p. 1008A distorted foot. [Obs.] Herbert.Pōlt'-fōōt or Pōlt'-fōōt'ed, a. p. 1008Having distorted feet. [Obs.] B. Jonson.Pōl'tin, n. p. 1008A Prussian silver coin of the value of about 1s. 7d. sterling, or about $0.38. Simmonds.Pol-trōon', n. p. 1008An arrant coward; a dastard; a wretch without spirit or courage. Syn.—Coward; craven; dastard. See COWARD.Pol-trōon', a. p. 1008Base; vile; contemptible.Pol-trōon'er-y, n. p. 1008Cowardice; baseness of mind; want of spirit.Pol-trōon'ish, a. p. 1008Of, or resembling, a poltroon; cowardly.Pōl've-rīne, n. p. 1008The calcined ashes of a plant, of the nature of pot and pearl ashes, brought from the Levant and Syria. In the manufacture of glass, it is preferred to other ashes, as the glass made from it is…Pō'ly, n. p. 1008(Bot.) An evergreen undershrub of the genus Teucrium, found near the Mediterranean; poley-mountain. Loudon.Pōl'y p. 1008A prefix from the Greek πολύς, used in many compound words, and signifying many, as in polygon, a figure of many angles.Pŏl'y-a-cous'tic, a. p. 1008Tending to multiply or magnify sound.Pōl'y-a-cous'tic, n. p. 1008An instrument to multiply sounds.Pōl'y-a-cous'tics, n. sing. p. 1008The art of multiplying, or magnifying, sounds. [See Note under MATHEMATICS.]Pōl'y-a-dĕl'phi-ā, n. p. 1008(Bot.) A class of plants, in the Linnæan system, having stamens united in three or more bodies, or bundles, by the filaments.Pōl’y-a-dĕl’phi-an or Pōl’y-a-dĕl’phōus, a. p. 1008(Bot.) Belonging to the class Polyadelphia; having stamens united in three or more bundles.Pōl'y-ăn'dri-ă, n. p. 1008(Bot.) A class of monoclinous or hermaphrodite plants, in the Linnæan system, having many stamens, or any number above twenty, inserted in the receptacle.